Reunited at last
by Levi Ackerman
Summary: Itachi and Sasuke reunite during the war. SPOILERS FOR MANGA CHAPTER 550. Sickeningly sweet ItaSasu platonic brotherly fluff. NOT UCHIHACEST.


_Author's note: Just some super sappy drabblish ItaSasu fluff I've been dying to write. Spoilers for latest manga chapters. There. I warned you. This is meant to be platonic brotherly love, though if you want to interpret it differently, that's your choice. _

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, this, and more fluffy scenes like it, would have already happened in the manga. _

-/_\-

When Sasuke saw Itachi for the first time, the first time in months – his heart nearly stopped. Susanoo's blazing form immediately dissipated around him, and Sasuke froze, trembling violently. His dark eyes – Itachi's eyes – widened, the Mangekyou Sharingan spinning furiously, as Sasuke tried, struggled to see through the illusion.

Because only a genjutsu of the cruelest sort could fill him with that much emotion, that much _feeling, _when all he'd been attempting to do for the last three years of his life was shut it all out.

It was an ingenious illusion, one crafted precisely to hit him where it _hurt, _because seeing those dark eyes that haunted his every dream and waking nightmare – it was unimaginable.

And yet there he was, the man who had filled Sasuke's early nightmares, the man who then flipped his world upside down and flitted through his dreams: his older brother, his precious aniki, Itachi Uchiha.

He seemed tangible, and real and perfect, so perfect, that Sasuke had a hard time dispelling the genjutsu. Everything about him was just as Sasuke had remembered (and he had remembered for he had obsessed over Itachi for every single year of his life, though the extent of the obsession ranged from adoration to murderous to perhaps something else that Sasuke didn't dare think about).

The angled jaw, the high contours of his cheekbones, the softness in those impossibly dark eyes, the slant of his eyebrows, the barely-noticeable quirk of his lips…

Right in front of him, right there, close, so close – if only he was real and he could reach out and touch him, run his fingertips against that cheek.

He was there, he was tangible – and he was speaking. And when he spoke, his voice was as velvety as ever and a shock cascaded through Sasuke's spine, wracking his very core, and he couldn't help but cry out.

"NII-SAN!

"Sasuke, I-"

"KAI! KAI!"

Sasuke frantically tried to dispel the genjutsu, as tears, really tears, streamed down his cheeks, mixing with the trails of blood.

But then warm fingers curled around his wrist, and Itachi was closer now, and tangible, and touching him – _Itachi was touching him – _and Sasuke's world exploded.

The rest of what happened after that was a blur, a haze of memories and rising spirits, and an expanding happiness that Sasuke hadn't known or experienced in ten years. He finally began to make sense of what Itachi was saying, the words being shaped by his lips.

_Madara… Edo-tensei… transferred some of my power to Naruto… layered genjutsu... Shisui's eyes… backfired on me… freeing me from Madara's control… _

It was unbelievable, incredible, _too _good to be true.

How Itachi managed to convince Sasuke to abandon his revenge – when Naruto had been desperately attempting to do the same for years with countless vain battles to the death – was still a mystery to some.

But not to Sasuke.

In his mind, it all flowed very logically, very simply.

Itachi was back.

His big brother, the most precious person in his life – was back.

When with Itachi, Sasuke was no longer the powerful, vengeful, S-class missing-nin. He was just a little boy who wanted nothing but the acceptance of his older brother, who had no larger quest but to be with Itachi for as long as possible, whose entire life revolved around sticking to Itachi and never letting him go.

Itachi was a loyal ally of Konoha. Once the war had ended, Itachi wanted to reintegrate himself with the village.

The notion of vengeance puffed away from Sasuke's mentality like a shadow clone jutsu, and it was almost as if it were never there in the first place.

Itachi wanted to stay in Konoha. Sasuke wanted to stay with Itachi. By default, Sasuke would stay in Konoha as well.

He agreed to this almost instantaneously, his dark eyes never leaving his brothers. And then Itachi smiled, a warm smile that made his eyes crinkle and Sasuke's heart both leapt and melted at the same time.

He'd do anything if he could see that beautiful expression on his brother's face.

"Sasuke," Itachi had said softly, voice washing over Sasuke's battered form like water, easing the pain away, "I – I'm proud of you."

And then Sasuke had bolted, running straight at his brother, burying his face in Itachi's warm, firm chest, breathing in the scent of him, his hands unabashedly clutching at the strands of Itachi's long hair.

It was something he'd wanted to for years.

He had felt Itachi stiffen for a fleeting moment, and then relax, and then warm arms came to wrap around him, a hand stroking his back soothingly while the other was pressed against his head, Itachi's fingers barely tugging at his tousled hair.

"Nii-san… nii-san…" Sasuke had sobbed, and Itachi had held him tightly, and Sasuke had never felt more important, more _loved _in his entire life.

When Itachi had finally pulled away, Sasuke hadn't let him at first, tightening his grip on his brother's shirt, but Itachi had just smiled slightly, before two fingers poke lightly at Sasuke's forehead, a heart-wrenchingly familiar gesture.

"Sorry Sasuke, but there's still a war going on. Later, okay?"

This time, Sasuke knew he could hold Itachi to his word.

-/_\-

_Author's Note: ...yeah. Sickly sweet, maybe OOC, but my secret dream come true. If only this could happen in the manga, I'd die of fangirling from the cuteness of it all. I am wearing my Itachi t-shirt as I type this. I feel so legit. _

_Review please! :)_

_xx_

_HighQueen_

P.S - Though this was platonic... um... there will in all likelihood be a not-so-platonic sequel (*hides face and blushes in mortification*) because I'm um - um - a secret Uchihacest fangirl. There. I said it. So, um... it'll be posted soon... if anyone is interested :3


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